Illuminated sign for removable letters



Feb. 20, 1940. I PQBLQCKI 2,191,353

ILLUMINATED SIGN FOR REMOVABLE LETTERS Filed Aug. 15, 1937 IN NTOR iii -be equivalent to the claims. v

Throughout thespecification the same reference characters'have been usedto] indicate the tion of a sign incorporating theinvention; w i

v Figure 2 is a transverse verticalsection taken.

pa an Feb. 20, 1940 ILLUMINA'IED SIGN FOItQ-R EM VA E l .LETTEBS Bernard 3.. Poblocki Milwaukee, Wis. Application August 19.2.7 .;,S fia .N158,829.

5 Claims: (0 114 #132) Thisinvention relate-s to anilluminated sign andmore particularly to a sign in which the distime to tinieby removing andreplacing individ ualletters.

.An object of the invention is to' provide a sign including a frame forthe display of a plurality of line's'of advertising material one. abovethe other, in an improved form, and especially for adequate illuminationof the displayed legends at a reduced operating cost.

Theinvention consists of the construction and combination of parts asherein illustrated, described and claimed; and in such modifications ofthe structure illustrated and described as may same parts, and in thedrawing: 7 1

Figure 1 is a partial front view, partly in sec- I approximately alongthe line 22 of-Fig. 1.

The frame of the sign includes a box-like strucvi.

true generally denoted by the numeral H]. which provides a rear wall "Hand a top wall l2; "In its vertical extension the frame provides forseveral units, such. as l4, l5, l6 extended lengthwiseof the frame anddisposed one above the other, each of the units provided for display ofa horizontal row. of letters, some of the letters of each of the rowsbeing shown at Ma, 15a, and lEa. Each of the units comprises similarmeans for'holding-and illuminating the associated letters, which willtherefore be described indetail only'for the unit l4. .v v

The unit M provides at the front a channeled frame member extendedlengthwiseof the frame.

at the upper front portion of the unit as at Mb,

and a ledge, such as He, similarly extended at the. front bottom portionof theunit, the channel and ledge operating to retain a glass'plate Mdagainst which. the letters Ma are retained. Each of the; lettersprovides top lugs such aside and bottom lugs such as 151, the top lugsbeing received di- ,.-rectly in the upper channel. [Ab and the lowerlugs being received behind a removable. bar orstrip l lh which isretained in ,position by lugs such as. l4ji. ,fixed' with the framelfland spaced at suitable intervals along the front of the ledge Me. Whenthe stripv Mh' is moved upwardly to disengage the lugs I42 the strip maybe removed, and the letters I la-may then be removed. .by

drawing the bottom portion outwardly andmoving the letterdownwardlysuflicientlyto disene a -w h letters'may'painter? chan eably replacedfor changing the exposed,

legend by reversing the process; 3 o

v For the illumination of the letters Ma there is provided, behind theglass plate Md, a row of '53 electric light bulbs; such as M7.-There'isalso provided a. reflector is, The. reflector extendingthroughout the longitudinal length of the unit 54,1 and is of such formand disposition asto in:

:te'rcept the light rays whicl'rotherwise -.would m -travelrearwardly,and. to reflect such-rays forward 'as wella's upward and downwardto-sorne extent, within: apath approximately defined. by the extensionof the dotted lines Mm, Mn, whereby a portion of the light from thebulbs M-j which 15 wouldaotherwise travel toward the rear oftthe frameis deflected, inpart to illuminate the'letter Md fr'omthe rear, and inpart to similarly f illuminate similar letters such as l5a of anadjacent unit 15; and in part, for the bottom unit an M, so thatlightmayshine. downwardly through v a glass plate Ilfor downward-illumination.It Will be understood-of course, that the letters and the bottom glassplate H are furtherilluminated by theli'ght 'receive'd'directly from thebulbs- M171 The-spacing ofthe bulbs I47 to the rear of. the plate Mand-the longitudinal spacingofthebulbs one from the other, takentogether with thev posi t ionand form of the reflector Mk is'such as toprovide a maximum of illumination for the'letr 3Q ters l with a minimumexpenditure of light and current. In pra'cticefit has been found thatthe 'rearward spacing of the bulbs 147", the'hor'i'zonw tal spacingthereof, and the forward position :of the reflector Mk, 'as hereinshown, is of such im'-' 35' portance that the current, required forproper illumination of the sign. letters may be: reduced as much as50%,, as compared with previous. sign letter illumination. g y q It willbe noted. that the units providing-. -the-" different, reflectors Mk areverticallyspaced, the reflectors having closely adjacent horizontaledges and standing considerably to; the rear of the front glasstransparencies Md; Also the trough-like reflector surfaces substantiallycoincide with the surface of a cylinder-having'its axis materiallybehind the, transparency and; the light bulbs Mi are considerably tothe. rear 'ofjsuch axis andlrelatively closely adjacentzto; the;reflectors. These various features contribute to providing a 5 maximumof illumination with a minimum of current, as pointed out in theparagraph preceding and, in' addition, effecta substantially uniformintensity of illumination as visible rrcm in'front of the sign,,w ithoutlocalized intensity. Y

such as might otherwise be caused; for example, by the use of spacedlight bulbs as the source of the illumination, or by the use of curvedreflector surfaces.

The channels and ledges such as [412, 140 are maintained in properposition in the frame by the means of braces such as 3, 19, but theseare of narrow extent longitudinally and of such spacing as not tointerfere with the distribution of the illumination.

Itwill be understood that frame members such as He and Mb extend fromend to end of the box or casing I0 and are suitably secured to theendportions of the casing. The spaced-members l8 and I9 are secured to themembers such as l4c, Mb by any suitable means. Where the members such asMb are intermediate between two units such as I 4 and [5, the samemember provides a ledge for the letters retained in front of the up perunit, and a channel for. the letters retained adjacent the lower unit,as shown by'thej combined ledge and channel member between the lowerunit l4 and the adjacent unit I5.

The structure of the ledge Me is such that any water collecting againstthe front face of the glass plate id, as from rain etc.; cannot enterthe interior of the frame H] but passes outward- 1y, through the spaceldp underneath the strip 14h.

What is claimed is:

1 An illuminating frame for a plurality of vertically spaced horizontalrows of individually removable sign letters, including a plurality ofvertically spaced units respectively for thedifferent rows, each of saidunits comprising a front portion providing vertically spaced upper andlower horizontal grooves, a vertical backing sheet of transparentmaterial retained by said grooves at the rear thereof, said upper andlower grooves ing bulbs spaced in front of each of the reflectors,

the reflectors-each being curved on a horizontal axis and positionedsufficiently to the rear of the illuminated sheets to effect reflectionboth to the letters of the associated unit and to the letters of anadjacent unit, said frame being interiorly open to permitsuchreflection.

2. An illuminating frame fora plurality of vertically spaced horizontalrows of individually removable sign letters, including for each row aframe portion providing at the front thereof vertically spacedhorizontally extended upper and lower groove portions respectively forretaining upper'and lower letter portions in various horizontalpositions of the letter within the groove, the front portion of each ofsaid lower grooves comprising a removable letter retaining strip orbar', said frame providing upwardly extended lug or 'r'etainer portionsbehind which said strip-or bar may be vertically displaced for removal,whereby letters within the grooves may be removed frontwardly.

3. An illuminating frame for a plurality of vertically spaced horizontalrows of individually removable sign letters, including for each row aframe portion providing at the front thereof vertically spacedhorizontally extended upper and lower groove portions respectively forretaining upper and lower letter portions in various horizontalpositions of the letter within the groove, the front portion of each ofthe lower grooves, being removably fixed in position whereby letterswithin the grooves may be removable frontwardly upon removal of saidfront groove portion, said frame providing for each row of letters ahorizontally extended reflector curved on a horizontal axis and spacedrearwardly of the letters within the grooves sufficiently to reflectsome of the light from a source in front of the reflector to the row ofletters associatedltherewith and some to an adjacent row.

4. In an illuminated sign including a frame and transparent closingmeans for the front thereof, the combination of supporting means forretaining a plurality ofsign letters in horizontally and verticallyspaced relationship adjacently outside said transparent front closingmeans, a plurality of reflector units extended in parallel relationshiprearwardlyof said transparent front closing means and together providinga substantially continuous reflector surface at a substantial spacingbehind said transparent front closing means, said reflector unitsindividually comprising curved troughs opening forwardly in thedirection of said transparent front closing means and forming portionssubstantially corresponding to the surface of a horizontal cylinderhaving its axis materially to the rear of said transparent front closingmeans, and a plurality of illuminating bulbs adjacent each of saidtroughs and spaced apart in the direction of the trough extension,saidbulbs being between the reflector trough and the transparent frontclosing means.

5. In an illu'minatedsign including a frame and transparent closingmeans for thefront thereof, the combination of supporting means forretaining a plurality of sign letters in horizontally and verticallyspaced relationship adjacently outside said transparent front closingmeans, a plurality ofreflector units extended in parallel relationshiprearwardly of said transparent front and forming portions eachsubstantially corre spending to'the surface of a cylinder, having its 1axis materially to the rear of said transparent front closing means, anda plurality of illuminating bulbs infrontof each of said reflectortroughs,

and spaced apart in the direction of the trough extension, said bulbsbeing closely adjacent to the reflector trough and relatively rearwardlye ote from thetransparent front closing means.

' BERNARD B. YPOBLOCKI.

